Bellroy Venture Pouch Review
The newest pouch as part of the “adventure” focused line.
Bellroy Pouch Review Introduction
Back to Bellroy this time - specifically their Venture line. This is a line they’ve been releasing with various components over the last year or so. EDC bags, travel bags, duffels, slings, and the subject of today’s article - pouches. As usual, Bellroy has been busy, eh?
The Venture Pouch promises to be a lightweight, compact option with different materials, organization methods, and shape than some of the other Bellroy pouches and tech kits. How does it fare against those well regarded classics?
This is my review of the Bellroy Venture Pouch. I’ve been using this as my EDC tech pouch for over a month, have taken it on a couple of domestic trips - and one international trip from JFK to Italy. In all instances, this was my only tech pouch used.
As always for full transparency, I purchased this pouch with my own money and had no communications with Bellroy prior to writing this. I do use affiliate links which help to support the site if you decide to use them to make a purchase, but you’re under no obligation to do so and there’s no additional cost to you. Thanks for stopping by!
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Bellroy Venture Pouch Overview
Pretty straight forward on this one. The Venture Pouch is Bellroy’s addition to their “adventure” line. That means it’s meant to be more durable, take a bit of a beating, and typically comes with water resistant properties (this one is no exception in that department).
It’s a svelte 1.5L and weighs 106g. The fabric is recycled baida nylon based on their website. Link to their materials page here: Bellroy Materials
They bill this as keeping any nature of things organized in your day. EDC, tech, bike tools, etc. And really that’s all accurate. Pouches are whatever you make of them. Of course for me, it’s a tech pouch.
Comes in 4 great color options. I had the Bronze for my testing.
It retails for $55 USD as of June 2023.
Bellroy Venture Pouch Features
Conveniently Using a Hotel Desk.
This is a pouch - so don’t expect this section to be comparable to Homer’s Iliad (Book jokes, WATCH OUT). That said, there are certainly a few things worth noting so you know what you’re getting in this little package.
You’ve got Bellroy’s classic weather protection, with this fabric having two separate weaves. Along these lines - the zippers are coated as well so you get additional water protection here. They are not completely blocked for water though so don’t go submerging these things.
There are two pockets here - the front being a little smaller and this has two separated slots, equal in size. I found this good for rolled up cables and my card-size phone/tablet stand. But it would also be good for flat wall chargers, sub 5000mAh power banks, or even a deck of cards perhaps. Whatever you want really, I’m just projecting some ideas for illustrative purposes.
The inside pocket is much bigger, but there isn’t a ton of organization in there. That said, it is separated by a padded wall - the space behind this is meant for your phone. For EDC, I put my work phone there because it’s a glorified VPN Authenticator and I rarely need to take it out. This is another spot that while it could take whatever you like, a 10,000mAh power bank would fit nicely in here if you have a slim one. Inside the bigger dump-pocket I put an Anker GaN 65w charger and its support base, an Anker Slim Powerline charger, and my AirPods Pro 2 sits on top of the GaN.
That’s my very simplified set up, I think it works well. I might add a USB-A to Lightning if I’m renting a car - just in case those heathens give me one without wireless Apple Carplay. Just kidding - I don’t care which version I get which is why it’s good to have that cable handy (or for airplanes and most hotels, still).
Lastly there are a couple of gear loops on here just waiting to be the canvas to your paint. Do nothing with them. Use them as pull tabs when unzipping. Attach carabiners. Or even a strap to make this a little shoulder bag or sling. Have a day with it. Here you can see it enjoying the desk at The Jefferson in Washington DC.
The Good
Design, color, materials choices - all on point here. But, this should be no surprise with Bellroy. They are kind of known as one of the more “design focused” brands in this space. Like it or leave it, it’s their brand UVP. I for one, like it a lot. They are a materials-forward brand and their stuff always looks more professional than a lot of the competition. For people that don’t want the outdoor look or the minimalist black travel ninja look, Bellroy is your brand. And I really like that you can express yourself a little on things like pouches without being too loud on the outside. Nice.
Even though they aren’t completely sealed, I like the coated zippers to help with the weather protection. If you’re going to bring this kit outside or on adventures as Bellroy wants - then you’re going to want to have that just in case. In reality I find myself almost never pulling my tech kit out in a downpour, but hey, nice to know it’s there.
The coated zipper pulls and the gear loops are good touches on an item that really doesn’t need much in terms of “additional” things. They are high quality.
I do in fact like the internal padded separator which lets you put a phone in there. It’s a nice decision and the type of design addition I’ve come to expect from Bellroy.
Surprisingly, I liked the split pocket in the front. I thought that little divider would limit how I used it, but surprise surprise - I adapted and ended up really liking it.
I also love the size. While some might feel this is too small, I find that it forces me to be much more intentional with what I put in it. Same thing that happened once I got into Onebag travel and sub 40L bags. At the end of the day I didn’t really need as much as I thought. And the real kicker, this setup is actually for 2 people. Myself and my wife. Works fine.
Here are some close ups of the two material choices.
The Bad
I think the main knock most people would have on this pouch is the lack of organization. It’s there, don’t get me wrong. But there’s a huge group of people that like to have a place for every little thing. If that’s you, and you want Bellroy, look into their Tech Kit instead. You’ll find more org there. This one just doesn’t over do it in that department.
For some, $55.00 is a little high on the budget for a pouch, and I get that. Not everyone needs or wants the kinds of materials Bellroy chooses or the design choices they make.
I’m removing the Improvement Requests section for this one as I’ve really got nothing to add for that. They made the choices they made, and we can either accept it or not. There aren’t really any “mistakes” or “left out” things in my opinion.
Bellroy Venture Pouch Comparisons
I’d be remiss if I didn’t give you a few comparisons here. Especially because I have a few relevant ones on hand, most notably a few Bellroy items.
Before this pouch, I’d been using the Aer Slim Pouch for over a year for travel and EDC, and that’s a fantastic pouch. I love the olive color. In fact, I’d have no issue recommending that as well. It’s a bit bigger, so if you can’t quite trim your kit down, that’s a good option. There is also a lot more organization with that one. So if org is your bag, then take a look there.
Comparing directly to some other Bellroy products - I have both the large and compact version of their tech kit, as well as a standard pouch. The Standard I think is much better as a loose items pouch or makeup kit for travel, etc. I use it at home to store secondary cables and chargers to keep them out of the way. The Tech kits are much more specialized and are definitely bigger than the Venture pouch. They are a completely different aesthetic too and really more so cater to the office or professional set. Designers, too (they have a spot for your Apple Pencil, of course). I carried those for years, but ended up just getting to the point where I wanted to get as compact as was rational and that’s how I settled on the size I’m at now. But if you need more space and more org choices and want that awesome Bellroy in-office aesthetic, then check out their Tech Kit and Tech Kit Compact.
Final Thoughts On My Bellroy Venture Pouch Review
This isn’t really new ground for Bellroy in the sense of them making their first tech pouch - and it really shows. They are able to take their experience in this realm and craft a very nice little piece of kit that’s going to be pretty enjoyable to use.
I really found very few nits to pick here. The materials are top notch as always, the design is thought out, and I really love the color (that green is awesome, too). The phone section is definitely an interesting feature choice that I found I liked using more than expected. Like most of their fabrics, it’s going to be very tear resistant so it will be able to stand up to some solid daily abuse and travel bumps/bruises without tearing.
If you’re in the market for a new tech kit and are looking to pare it back a bit to really nail down the efficiencies and essentials, this is a great option. It’s also a great option for non-tech stuff if you’d rather go that route. As usual with these things - the world is yours and I’m just living in it. Make it your own. But regardless of what you throw in there, it should be on your short list to consider as a worthy option.
As always with the indy brands, I’d suggest buying directly through their website for best service.
Wander more and Wander smarter, everyone.
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